Entry requirements

Entry requires a strong Bachelors or Masters degree with a substantial actuarial content and exemption from most or all of the Core Technical subjects (CT1 to CT8) of the professional actuarial examinations. A willingness to work hard and a drive to succeed are also important prerequisites.

Months of entry

September

Course content

The actuarial profession plays a leading role world-wide in managing financial institutions. The demand for actuaries is high, because of their unique blend of mathematical skills, practical approach and professional standards.

Entry to the actuarial profession is by a demanding series of examinations, but the rewards after qualifying are great. Taking the MSc in Actuarial Management is a great way to speed your progress to this most prestigious of careers – it's designed to take you almost all of the way to qualification.

The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries in the UK has four levels of examinations to qualify. The Core Technical (CT) subjects are taught in our BSc or MSc in Actuarial Science and lead to exemptions from the profession’s own CT examinations. The MSc in Actuarial Management offers exemptions in two of the Core Applications subjects (CA1 and CA3) and a choice of up to three of the Specialist Technical (ST) subjects from a choice of ST2, ST4, ST5, ST6 and ST9 (you only need two ST subjects to satisfy the profession’s requirements).

If you graduate with a full set of exemptions from Heriot-Watt then you will only have three more examinations to pass, as well as gaining the necessary work experience, to qualify as a Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.

Information for international students

The minimum requirement for English language is IELTS overall 6.5 (with no score lower than 5.5 in any individual category). or equivalent. We also offer a range of pre-sessional English language courses to help you meet the English language requirement prior to starting your masters programme.